This is one of the most despicable, inhumane stories I've seen about Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) in awhile, courtesy of (subscription required) the Wall Street Journal.

Basically, a woman was left with permanent brain damage at the age of 45 after an accident with a semi-trailer truck. She was recently awarded a $700,000 settlement but then her employer, Wal-Mart, sued her for the money to reimburse itself for the money it spent on her medical costs.

I'm not a lawyer. I don't know about the legality here, but think about this: this poor lady's husband has to work two jobs now, and she is left alone in a nursing home far more than he would like her to be. And it's all because Wal-Mart needed $700,000 to recoup what it spent on an employee's medical care. Wal-Mart made $11,284,000,000 in fiscal year 2007. This lady is spending time alone in a nursing home so the company could recoup $700,000.

At the very least, this is more horrible PR for Wal-Mart, and we shouldn't let them get away with it. Wal-Mart needs to learn that treating people badly is no way to boost the stock price.